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Choosing Your Path or Letting it Choose You

Choosing Your Path

Choosing your path in life seems like a very practical thing. It seems logical. Right? Proactive, yes! All successful people do this, don’t they?

Have you always known what you were going to do?  When you were a small child and someone asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Did you have an immediate answer?

I think my first answer was probably, “I want to be a mom!” That was a given from the early years when I was running around in my yard and climbing trees and chasing piglets. I knew I wanted to be a mom. I had a picture in my mind of what that would look like. So I practiced on my little sister and neighbor friends. I would clean the house and make them Kool-Aid and snacks. I still had plenty of time to play with them too though.

High School Years

By the time I was 13 years old and in seventh grade, I knew I wanted to be the President of the United States. I was sure I could make a difference in the world. The kids at school had a great time making fun of me about that one.

As I finished my high school years I thought I knew how life was going to go. I had abandoned the idea of becoming the President of the United States of American by the time I graduated from Mortimer Jordan High School in 1977.

I thought I would marry my high school sweetheart but he never asked so I went on with Plan B to go to college. I thought I knew which college I wanted to attend. I applied to Auburn University (AU)  and waited for that acceptance letter. Meanwhile, I was invited to spend the weekend at another college in southern Alabama, Alabama Christian College (ACC) a small two-year school. That weekend I chose my path and the direction of my life. I made the decision to attend ACC. The acceptance letter to AU arrived the next day.

College Life

My freshman year was filled with wonderful new friends and experiences. As a Communications major, I was given the opportunity to interview experts for our school radio program. I also wrote for the school newspaper. Being a member of the Phi Lambda social club and student government brought another dimension to college life. Meanwhile, my role as Freshman Class Representative took me to Abilene, Texas. Abilene has to be one of the windiest places I have ever been to. I learned very quickly to hold my skirt down while trying to walk across campus.

Abilene, Texas

I did not know until a few years later what Abilene, Texas would give me. I was attending a conference with people from all over the U.S. I met two young men I would never see again nor remember their names. Yet they had a BIG impact on my life. These two young men were from Freed-Hardeman College (FHC). They assured me that FHC was the greatest school! ACC was a 2 year school when I was there. So when the time came for me to transfer I transferred to FHC.

ACC (Faulkner University) is a Christian college so that brought my heart to a deeper focus on spiritual matters. Devotionals, Bible classes, and my first mission trip opened up a whole new world for me. This love for God would stay with me as I transferred to FHC and for the rest of my life.

My first date at FHC was with a handsome blond boy named Lawrence Redding who was born in Abilene, Texas and that story continues to this day.

So did I choose my path or did my path choose me?

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

 

Reda FHC 1979 Student id
Reda FHC 1979 Student id

 

 

 

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How to Make Taco Bake – Without a Recipe

You are about to find out how to make Taco Bake without a recipe. For our Sunday lunch yesterday I decided to keep it simple and make Taco Bake. What is Taco Bake? Read on!

My friend Pam shared this with me many years ago. Thank you, Pam! Am I ever excited that she is moving across the country and will be a whole lot closer to me! (and a few other people).

Taco Bake is a simple casserole that is very filling and easy to adjust to your preferences. It is made with ingredients we keep on hand almost all of the time. Rice, beans, taco seasoning, meat and/or chicken and cheese. Have leftovers? Here is a great use for them. This is how I make Taco Bake without a recipe.

You may want to lightly coat your pan with oil or spray it with cooking spray.  Any size pan will do depending on your family size. I choose my pan based on how many will be here to eat. If this is going to be a weeknight dinner I will use my 13X9 pan because James is always happy to finish the leftovers. Yesterday I used my giant heavy-duty 1/2 sheet cake pan I have used for years and years because I was expecting a family crowd.

Ingredients:

Rice, refried or cooked pinto beans, taco seasoning, meat and/or chicken, and shredded cheese.

Layer 1

First I layer cooked rice not more than an inch deep. You may use white, brown, long-grain, short-grain, whatever type you prefer.

Layer 2

Cooked taco meat or chicken. Have you noticed the price of beef? I was so shocked at the cost of the cheapest ground beef that I almost made it with chicken. In the end, I decided to combine ground turkey and beef. Cook the meat and drain and season it with taco seasoning. Spread this over the rice layer. This time I used 3 lbs. of ground beef and 3 lbs. of ground turkey.  You can use any leftover turkey, chicken, beef, etc. Or make it vegetarian.

Layer 3

Refried beans or as I usually do cook some pinto beans or use some leftover ones.

 Don’t know how to cook beans? 

Layer 4

Cover the top with shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese.

Bake in the oven at 350° until it is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted. Now you are ready to enjoy it!

FREEZER MEAL – After Layer 4 you can cover it with a layer of plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil, label, and freeze. When you get ready to use thaw and uncover and follow the regular instructions.

Beans
Beans
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Teach Your Children Well

Do you remember the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song: Teach Your Children Well? Here are the lyrics.  Listen here.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.

And you, of tender years,
Can’t know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.

Teach your parents…

Child of the 60s

I was born in Birmingham, Alabama on February 26, 1960. A child of the 60s and 70s. Lawrence and I met in college and married in 1980. A year later I became a mom. Determined to be a good mom I researched the scriptures, studied parenting books, and interviewed people I thought were good parents. Are there any perfect parents? No! Even though I wanted to be the perfect parent. I knew there were no perfect parents but I wanted to do it right! It may seem funny now but I was very intentional about it. This approach became a pattern for my learning not only about parenting but other things as well. Read scriptures, read books, and interview people.

1980
Lawrence and Reda 1980
Lawrence & Reda
Lawrence & Reda

Homeschooling

Not only did I want to be a good mom but I wanted to teach my children myself. Homeschool was not even a word back then nor did I know anyone who taught their own children or would consider doing so. Somehow unknowingly I found myself at the forefront of a movement that continues today. It has morphed as time has passed but is still alive and well. Hopefully, I can write more about that later.

When I started this post I was intending to share my journey into parenting and homeschooling. However, considering the current atmosphere in our country I have decided to take this a different direction. It does not matter what choice you have made about schooling. We all teach our children. Whether it is intended or not. Some of life’s most important lessons come from home and come early in life.

“Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park”

Your children learn from you. This song has been in my head for a couple of weeks. After a little research, I found out that Nash wrote this song after seeing a famous photograph by Diane Arbus that depicts a child with an angry expression holding a toy weapon. According to an interview, he wrote this song to reflect on the messages given to children about war. There are a lot of messages given to children!

Love 

Whether you know it or not you do teach your children. Teach them well. It is your job to teach them how to love and how to be loved. It is your job to teach them the truth, God’s truth. God’s ways are different from the world and so should ours be.

John 13:34&35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

I John 2:11 “But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”

Matthew 5: 43-48 says, “You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor” and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

God Shows No Partiality

Peter learned this and we should too. In Acts 10:34 “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,”

Be Light Givers

This is what God says in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Yes I was born in Alabama in the 1960s and I saw racial prejudice, social prejudice, and more, but I did not embrace that because I was taught well at home. I do not remember having a conversation about this. I was taught by my parent’s example and I am thankful for that!

Parents teach your children well.

 

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Don’t You Just Love This Red Frilly Apron?

Red Frilly Apron
Red Frilly Apron

Don’t you just love this Red Frilly Apron? This lovely apron has a wide eyelet ruffle and an adjustable strap which I love. I really like aprons, not only are they very useful if you cook a lot but you look lovely when you are wearing an apron!

This is the last week to enter the drawing. There are several ways to enter the giveaway. You may register by signing up to receive email updates. You know how I love recipes! So send me a favorite recipe and tell me why the recipe is special to you will be entered into the drawing.

Or If you have already signed up to receive the email updates share my blog with someone else and let me know that you have shared it.

*** If you are the winner I will gladly send it to whoever you wish.  (inside the USA)

 

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25 Random Things About Me

25 random things about me. Where did this come from? I read a lot. Occasionally, I see these lists and find them fun and interesting. So I decided to make a list of a few random things about me.

Born in Birmingham and raised near Morris, Alabama.
Baptized believer of Jesus Christ.
I love spending time with God’s people, my people!
Teaching people the scriptures brings me joy.
Married to the best husband in the world, happy wife to Lawrence for 40 years!
Mother to 11 children YES! (8 boys and 3 girls).
Grandmother to 5 and potential.
Stay at home mom for over 35 years.
Homeschool teacher for over 35 years.
New Doula – I have birthed at home, birth centers, and the hospital. Looking for a doula call me!
Extrovert – I love people and I can talk to almost anyone.
My favorite color is BLUE.
Learning the old crafts and skills my grandmothers knew makes me feel a connection to generations past.
Read real books! Kindles do provide me with instant gratification though.
Teacups and teapots make me happy. Don’t you just say ahh when you sit down with a nice cup of tea?
PG Tips is my favorite black tea with a little milk and sugar of course.
Diet Coke is the real thing!
My favorite sweet is Dark Chocolate.
Come on over. I love cooking and feeding people.
Growing and use herbs is rewarding.
Learning to grow lavender is hard at least for me but I am not giving up.
Picking and receiving wildflower bouquets is pure joy.
I attended Majestic Elementary School, Mortimer Jordan High School, Alabama Christian College, and Freed-Hardeman College a very long time ago.
I have been to all 50 of the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Malawi, and Canada.
Collector of stories – please tell me yours.

 

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Learning New Skills – Sourdough Starter

Sourdough starter
Sourdough starter

Sourdough Starter

Why am I learning to make a sourdough starter?  I have spent years at home rearing children, homeschooling, cooking, laundry, etc. So this time in our history hasn’t been as hard on me maybe as some of you. But it has given me an excellent opportunity to explore possibilities. Extra time at home, what will I do? Using this time to learn some new skills and improve some old ones seems like a good idea.

What have I been learning? In my crazy artistic, ok maybe chaotic (it’s those 11 kids I’m telling you!) way I tackled several things I have been interested in for some time. Today I will tell you about my sourdough project.

Sourdough

The problem is I love bread! If I had to choose one food group it would probably be bread. What smells better than fresh bread baking? With a little direction from my friend Eleni Melirrytou, I decided to learn to make sourdough bread. That entails first making a sourdough starter. Yes, you normally can buy yeast in the grocery store. Maybe not during a pandemic. And maybe not in Africa. I know that you can buy a sourdough starter on Amazon. However, I want to learn the whole process so that wherever I am in the world I can make bread. This is a long process that begins with flour and water mixed and worked with for at least 14 days before you can have a strong enough starter to make your bread rise. You can make some pretty yummy sourdough pancakes with your throwaway starter though.

Work With Refugees

Do you remember the first time you ate sourdough bread? I don’t. I’m sure it must have been in Seattle in the 80s. The best sourdough I have ever tasted was made by my friend Eleni Melirrytou when she and her husband came to Nashville, Tennessee, to share about their work with refugees in Greece. Check out their website here. As with most functions with Christians, there was food! Not just food but amazing Greek food which included Eleni’s sourdough bread! Yum, makes your mouth water bread!

Northwest Sourdough

I need to learn how to do this, I told myself. I asked Eleni for recommendations and she sent me a link to a video by Northwest Sourdough and Teresa L. Greenway. There is a link for a free guide below the video. This video and the following ones got me started making my sourdough starter, pancakes, and eventually bread. Click on the link to learn how to make a sourdough starter using only flour and water.

One interesting side note is that I lived very close to where Teresa L. Greenway filmed these videos and I never knew what I was missing or what great resources were right next door.

 

Sourdough bread
Sourdough bread – My first loaf
Sourdough bread 2
Sourdough bread 2
Sourdough bread
Sourdough bread

If you follow this link you will find the recipe I used for my sourdough bread. Bake with Jack is a great teacher.

Sourdough bread for beginners and that’s me!

https://www.bakewithjack.co.uk/blog-1/2018/7/5/sourdough-loaf-for-beginners

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My Mom

REMEMBER TO SIGN UP FOR THE DRAWING THIS MONTH!  To sign up send me a recipe with a story or sign up to receive emails when I post a new story. 
I just couldn’t write on Mother’s day about my mom. For one thing, I was visiting her from a safe distance on her porch. Add home church and kids and grandkids and it was a full day. I am so blessed as a mom and to have my mom!
 
How can I possibly write anything appropriately honoring into a post?
But today when this picture
My mom Birthday 2017
My mom Birthday 2017
popped up on my Facebook feed,  I decided to say something. I know I cannot possibly express in words what an amazing woman my mom is, how thankful for her I am, or how much I love her! But I will write a few things.
 
Thankful for My Mom!
 
My earliest memories center around church and family. For many years my mom took the three of us to church all by herself. Not just Sunday morning but at least 3 services a week. I am thankful for her faithfulness to the father and her commitment to the body of Christ.
 
She made all of our clothes and some for the neighbors too. One year she made Easter dresses for us and the neighbor girls including little crocheted shawls.   
She and my dad grew a big garden and canned and froze the benefits. They raised hogs and chickens. She and my dad worked hard and taught us to work hard as well. This has been a huge blessing in my life.
 
She sounds like the typical mom during that time period in so many ways because of all the skills she learned growing up on the farm. But my mom was far from typical in addition to all of these things she worked full time.
 
During a time when few women worked outside the home, my mom worked as a computer programmer. She worked in a field few women worked. Her work transitioned a lot over the years. She spent her last two years of programming from home. She is resilient and a great learner. 
What is she doing today during this pandemic? She has made over 100 masks to protect others. Sharing with her neighbors, friends, and family from a distance she continues to stay busy. Quilting, cross-stitching, reading books,  doing puzzles, sharing magazines, sewing machines, and whatever she has to give she continues doing good as she has always done.
She has weathered a lot of storms in her life and come through them with a generous heart and a smile.
Visiting Mom
Visiting Mom
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Mayonnaise Biscuits and Enter the Contest

Who has ever heard of mayonnaise biscuits? I certainly had never! Read on for I am about to share the recipe. This year a friend of mine had a birthday. As is common his amazing birthday dinner was shared of Facebook complete with pictures. It was a dinner that made me jealous. Just kidding I was happy for Glenn to have an amazing birthday dinner after all he’s a pretty amazing guy. And he must have a pretty wonderful wife to do all that for him.

As I was reading the list of items on the menu something caught my attention. Mayonnaise Biscuits. I had to message Erica right away to find out if I could have the recipe. She was sweet enough to share her special recipe and a little bit of the story behind it.

Glenn’s mom used to make them for him and to make the story a little bit sweeter she got the recipe from her mom. I love to collect recipes and especially if they have stories behind them.

So today I will share this simple recipe for you to try.

Mayonnaise Biscuits
Mayonnaise Biscuits

Mayonnaise Biscuits

2 c. Self-rising Flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven at 375° and lightly grease a muffin tin.

Mix all three ingredients and scoop by the spoonful into a muffin tin each one about 3/4 the way full.

Makes one dozen. 


Bake for 30 mins or until these golden brown.

These turn out to be very light.


I hope you enjoy them!! They are delicious! Thanks, Erica for introducing me to Mayonnaise Biscuits.

There are two ways to enter the contest to win a beautiful apron. Subscribe to my email list or send me a recipe with a story of why it is special to you.

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Instant Pot Black Bean Soup

Black Beans
Black Beans

Yesterday, I decided to try an old recipe…Instant Pot Style! Black Bean Soup has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Black beans are healthy, economical, and they taste great!

I don’t cook a lot using recipes, but I like to share them when I do:)

My first few experiences with the Instant Pot made me want to throw it out the door! I persisted because of my dear friend Lee who uses her Instant Pot constantly and is always telling me how it makes fixing dinner so easy. She is such a patient teacher! So here goes another experiment…

Ingredients:

4 cups dried black beans

2 quarts chicken broth

2 cups salsa (homemade or store-bought)

2 -3 teaspoons cumin to taste

4 garlic cloves (my favorite!) or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 teaspoons lime juice

Salt (to taste)

Optional seasoning: red pepper added for heat

Optional toppings: cilantro, sour cream, or plain yogurt

Add the dried black beans with the chicken broth and cook in the Instant Pot for 14 minutes (use the manual setting to set the time).

While beans are cooking, saute the onions in a skillet.

After the 14 minutes is up, let the Instant Pot self-release its steam. Stir to make sure the beans are well cooked, and then add the sauteed onions, salsa, lime, and all the seasonings. Turn it on saute for about 5 minutes until it is all hot and mixed well. If you want it to have more liquid you can add some more broth or water at this point, and then it’s done! This soup has a lot of wonderful flavors! You can serve it with rice, tortillas, or tortilla chips.

 

Original Black Bean Soup and Short Cuts Added

The original recipe is not as large so I always had to double and triple it when the kids were home. You know how much boys can eat!

Here is the recipe:

1 lb. dry beans cooked according to directions (shortcut: use two cans cooked black beans)

1 -2 C  chicken broth  (substitute: 1 C water and 1 bouillon cube for each cup)

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced (substitute: 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)

2 cups of homemade salsa (substitute: 16 oz jar store-bought salsa)

4 teaspoons lime juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Optional toppings:

chopped fresh cilantro

sour cream or plain yogurt

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray, cook onion and garlic over med-high for 4-5 min.  Add the cooked beans with their liquid, the salsa, lime, cumin, red pepper, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 25-30 minutes.  Top with yogurt and fresh cilantro.

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Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread

Gluten-Free Cornbread
Gluten-Free Cornbread

I bake gluten-free cornbread for my husband. According to the last three doctors and numerous tests, they have run my husband cannot tolerate gluten. He does, however, eat corn and loves to have a nice hot skillet of cornbread to accompany a bowl of beans. The two happen to go together right?

Can you imagine I have run out of the regular cornmeal? So instead I used masa flour. He really likes it. It has a softer texture than the regular stone-ground cornmeal I have used in the past. Here is the latest recipe I have come up with based on available ingredients at home.

Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread

1 cup of instant corn masa flour

1 cup almond flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil.

Preheat oven 425°. Bake in a small oiled iron skillet or pie plate for 20 minutes or until done. The top and sides should be golden brown and it should pull slightly away from the sides.

Let me know if you try this recipe?